Railway car having increased coupler swing for curve negotiability



United States Patent Ronald P. Bolte St. Louis, 25;

Eugene L. Kunz, Florissant, Missouri [21] Appl. No. 758,790

[22] Filed Sept. 10, 1968 [45] Patented Sept. 22, 1970 [7 3] AssigneeACF Industries Incorporated New York, New York a corporation of NewJersey [72] lnventors [54] RAILWAY CAR HAVING INCREASED COUPLER SWINGFOR CURVE NEGOTIABILITY 1,277,889 9/1918 Ethridge 105/199 2,011,9188/1935 Stedefeld et al.. 105/199 2,792,231 5/ 1957 Compton 105/3622,985,115 5/1961 105/159 3,283,916 11/1966 Cope 213/15 3,308,769 3/1967Halcomb et al... 105/362 3,470,829 10/1969 Szala 105/362 PrimaryExaminer Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. BertschAttorneyEugene N. Riddle ABSTRACT: A railway car having a stub centersill structure at each end mounted for relative swinging movementbetween the underframe and truck of the car. A coupler carried by eachstub center sill structure swings in a horizontal plane with theassociated center sill structure relative to the body or underframe ofthe railway car thereby to permit any desired coupler swing. The stubcenter sill structure pivots between vertically spaced bearing memberscarried by the superjacent underframe and subjacent truck.

Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Sheet m 2 T m L N W 0 U W B K. P L DE L N A N o0 U b R R E ".||ll.- I, Q 5 I: w w v\ t ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 22,1970;

'Sheet 2 of5 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Sheet Patented Sept. 22, 1970 SheetRAILWAY CAR HAVING INCREASED COUPLER SWING FOR CURVE NEGOTIABILITYBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention is directed to a railway car having a separate stub centersill structure mounted between the body or underframe of the railway carand the supporting wheeled truck for independent swinging lateralmovement relative to g the car body and the truck. The stilb centersill'structure carries a coupler and thus, a generally unlimited couplerswing I may be provided by the present invention for improved curve Inegotiability. Therefore, the stub center sill structure does not haveto be provided with a large end opening to permit a wide swing of thecoupler and the coupler does not have to have a long overhang or projecta considerable distance from the end of the car as heretofore for longlength cars. A bearing plate member on the bottom of the underframe anda separate bearing plate member on the truck bolster support the stubcenter sill structure therebetween and provide pivots for the lateralswinging movement of the stub center sill structure.

Since the stub center sill structure is not secured to the car body orunderframe, this arrangement has particular applicability for insulatedrailway tank cars in which the end heads of the tank are desired to bewelded to the tank after the underframe or tank body sill is secured.The underframe or fixed support for the tank is spaced inwardly from theend heads and this permits welding of the heads after assembly of theremainder of the car.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the inventionis illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a railway tanlt car having a swing centersill structure comprising the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragment of FIG. lshowing the swing center sillstructure comprising the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the railway car illustrated in FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken generally along line 4 -4,of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a plan of the swing sill structure removed from the railwaycar shown in FIGS. 1-5.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention,a railway tank car generally indicated .10 has .a

bolster plate 28. A side body bolster plate 30 extends between eachouter end of lower bolster plate 28 and saddle plate 24. Intermediatereinforcing members 32 extend between a lower body bolster cover plate28 and saddle plate 24. Side bearing members 34 are secured beneathcover plate 28 and a body bearing or center plate 35 is secured to theunderside of lower cover plate 28 and has a central opening 36 therein.

Mounted beneath each body bolster 22 is a wheeled truck generallyindicated 37 and having a truck bolster 38 extending between side frames40. A center bowl-shaped plate 42 on truck bolster 38 is verticallyspaced from body center plate 36 and has a center pin 44.

Mounted for pivotal movement between the body bolster center plate 36and the truck bolster center plate is a swing sill structure generallyindicated 46 and comprising the present invention. Swing sill structure46 forms the stub center sill structure and has a coupler 48 mountedwithin its outer end. Suitable conventional draft gear 49 is connectedto coupler 48. The stub swing sill structure 46 comprises a generallyhatshaped stub center sill 50 and an integral bolster structureindicated generally 52. A lower cover plate 54 is secured to the lowerflanges of center sill 50. As shown particularly in FIG. 4,

bolster structure 52 includes a center plate 56 receiving center pin 44of the truck bolster and fitting within the truck bolster center plate42. An upper bowl-shaped center bearing plate ,58 has a circumferentialrim 60 and an integral center pin 62. Center plate 35 fits withinbearing plate 58 and opening 36 thereof receives center pin 62. A lowercover plate 64 of bolster structure 52 has side bearings 66 thereonspaced around three-eighths inch from subjacent side bearings 68 ontruck bolster 38. An upper cover plate 70 has upper side bearing pads 72in bearing contact with superjacent side bearing pads or members 34 onthe car body.

Mounted on the upper surface of center sill 50 are longitudinal bearingpads 74 in bearing contact with superjacent bearing pads 76 on coverplate 21 of fixd sill 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Bearing pads 76extend laterally outwardly from center sill 20 to provide a bearingsurface upon a relatively wide swing of sillstructure 46. Further,impact loads received by coupler 48 are partly dissipated by pads 76.Longitudinal bearing pads 74, 76 also aid in maintaining swing sillstructure 46 in a generally horizontal plane. Side bearings-66 and 68limit the rocking movement of tank 11 and sill structure 46.

Swing sill structure 46 is thus mounted for generally unlimited swingingmovement between truck 36 and the fixed body or underframe 16 of railwaycar 10. Center bowl-shaped bearing plate 42 on truck bolster 38.andcenter plate 36 on underframe I6 support stub sill structure 46 forpivotal swinging I movement in a generally horizontal plane. Thus,coupler 48 carried by swing sill structure 46 is mounted forsubstantially unrestricted swinging movement in a horizontal plane.

I claim:

I. A railway car comprising, an underframe having a body bolsteradjacent an end thereof and a lower center bearing member on theunderside of the body bolster, a wheeledtruck beneath said lower bearingmember and having a truck bolster with an upper center bearing memberthereon in spaced vertical alignment from said lower bearing member onthe underframe, a stub center sill structure mounted between thecylindrical tank generally indicated 11 with end heads 12 welded alongseams 14. An underframe generally indicated 16 is secured to theunderside of tank 11 and includes a saddle plate 18 welded to each endof the intermediate tank 11 inwardly of tank heads 12. A body centersill structure generally indicated 20 has a lower cover plate 21 andforms a boxshaped cross section with saddle plate l8.

A support cradle or body bolster structure generally indicated 22 issecured to tank 11 adjacent each end of car 1 0 and includes a cradlepad or plate 24 of an arcuate shape fitting along the outer surface oftank 11 and having a cutout portion receiving saddle plate 18 as shownin FIG. 4. Vertical webs 26 extend between cradle pad 24 and a lowerbody spaced lower and upper bearing members, a coupler carried by thestub center sill structure, and means mounting the stub center sillstructure for swinging movement in a generally horizontal plane betweensaid upper and lower bearing members relative to the underframe and thetruck.

2. A railway car comprising, an underframe structure including a lowercenter bearing member secured adjacent each end thereof, a wheeled truckbeneath each of said lower center bearing member and having an uppercenter bearing member thereon in spaced vertical alignment with anassociated lower center bearing member, a stub center sill structuremounted between each lower center bearing member of the underframe andthe associated upper center bearing member of the associated truck andextending rearwardly beyond the associated upper and lower centerbearing members, a coupler carried by each stub center sill structure,and means mounting each stub center sill structure for swinging movementin a generally horizontal plane between and relative to associated upperand lower center bearing members.

3. A railway tank car comprising, a generally cylindrical outer shellincluding end heads welded thereto, a longitudinally extending saddleplate secured to the shell adjacent each end thereof and inwardly of theadjacent end head, a cradle support secured adjacent each end of saidouter shell and having a lower bearing member secured thereto, a wheeledtruck beneath said lower bearing member and having an upper bearingmember thereon in spaced vertical alignment from said lower bearingmember on the cradle support, a stub center sill structure mountedbetween the spaced, vertically aligned lower and upper bearing membersand extending rearwardly beyond the associated cradle support, a couplercarried by the stub center sill structure, and means mounting the stubcenter sill structure for swinging movement in a generally horizontalplane between said upper and lower bearing members relative to thecradle support and the truck.

4. A railway car comprising, an underframe having a lower bearing membersecured adjacent an end thereof, a wheeled truck beneath said lowerbearing member and having a bolster with an upper bearing member thereonin spaced vertical alignment from said lower bearing member on theunderframe, a stub center sill structure mounted between the spacedlower and upper bearing members, said center sill structure comprising alongitudinally extending center sill and a transverse bolster structuresecured to the center sill and positioned generally over the truckbolster, a pair of bearing pads on the upper portion of said center sillspaced on either side of said transverse bolster structure, a pair ofcoacting bearing pads on the underside of the underframe in verticalalignment with the longitudinal bearing pads on the center sill, acoupler carried by each stub center sill structure, and means mountingeach stub center sill structure and associated coupler for swingingmovement in a generally horizontal plane between said upper and lowerbearing members relative to the underframe and the truck.

5. A railway car as set forth in claim 4 wherein said bearing pads onthe underside of said underframe are of a length greater than the widthof the associated center sill to accommodate a wide swing of the centersillstructure.

6. A railway car as set forth in claim 4 wherein said transverse bolsterstructure on the stub center sill structure has a pair of side bearingson its upper surface and a pair of side bearings on its lower surface,and coacting side bearings are secured respectively to said underframeand said truck bolster in vertical alignment with the side bearings onsaid transverse bolster structure.

7. A railway tank car comprising, a generally cylindrical outer shellincluding end heads welded thereto, a'longitudinally extending saddleplate secured to the shell adjacent each end thereof and inwardly of theadjacent end head, a body center sill structure secured to each saddleplate, a cradle support secured adjacent each end of said outer shelland having a lower bearing member secured thereto, a wheeled truckbeneath said lower bearing member and having a bolster with an upperbearing member thereon in spaced vertical alignment from said lowerbearing member on the cradle support, a swing stub center sill structuremounted between the spaced lower and upper bearing members, said stubcenter sill structure comprising a longitudinally extending center silland a transverse bolster. structure secured to the center sill andpositioned generally over the truck bolster, a pair of longitudinalbearing pads on the upper portion of the center sill spaced on each sideof said transverse bolster structure, a pair of coacting longitudinalbearing pads on the underside of the body center sill structure invertical alignment with the longitudinal bearing pads on the swingcenter sill structure, a coupler carried by the stub center sillstructure, and means mounting the stub center sill structure forswinging movement in a generally horizontal plane between said upper andlower bearing members relative to the cradle support and the truck.

8. A railway tank car as set forth in claim 7 wherein said transversebolster structure on the stub center sill structure has a pair of sidebearings on its upper surface and a pair of side bearings on its lowersurface, and coacting side bearings are secured respectively to saidcradle support and said truck bolster in vertical alignment with theside bearings on said transverse bolster structure.

